“This is always the part of the season when we get a little nervous
about the weather,” Ott said. “Once you get past March and April we
will have a better understanding of the crop.”

He said the harvest generally lasts from July to October. Among
apple growers, the Mother Lode region is considered a microclimate,
which is ideal for growing red apples and Granny Smiths.

California orchards produced 120 million pounds of fresh apples last year, Ott said.

The incidence of blight was low in the foothill region last season
due to cool springtime temperatures and low rainfall during the
blooming period, according to an annual report by the Apple Commission,
released earlier this month.

Contact Ryan Campbell at
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or 588-4526.